Foreign direct investment has climbed 50 per cent since 2005. The African per capita income is up to $1,700 and in sub-Saharan Africa, 22 nations — with a collective population of 400 million — have eclipsed this threshold. In 10 years, the number of Africans with cellphones has skyrocketed to 70 per cent of the population from 0.7 per cent.

Five U.S. construction workers

In 2009, they bought a lottery ticket with their friend Americo Lopes. But Lopes told lottery organizers he bought the ticket alone and cashed a cheque for $17,433,966. He later told his friends that he had won the lottery after they stopped playing together. In March, a Connecticut judge ordered Lopes to share his winnings with his former colleagues.

Syria’s opposition

Classified U.S. diplomatic cables show the U.S. State Department has provided more than $6 million to the group since 2006 to operate a satellite TV channel and finance other interests. In June 2012, the Syrian Business Forum was started in Doha and its founder, opposition leader Wael Merza, said $150 million had already been raised from donors and spent on the Free Syria Army.

Officials with the Kabul Bank

A report released by the International Monetary Fund in November revealed bank executives made $861 million from a Ponzi scheme. The officials smuggled much of the money out of the country; some of it was snuck out of Afghanistan in airline food trays on flights operated by Pamir Airways, an airline established with loans from the bank.

U.S. local TV affiliates

The U.S. presidential campaigns focused advertising on the most competitive swing states. Groups supporting Barack Obama spent $404 million on TV ads, while Mitt Romney supporters spent $492 million. The states that recorded the highest TV ad spending were Florida ($173 million), Virginia ($151 million) and Ohio ($150 million).

Usain Bolt

The Jamaican sprinter won his third gold medal during the London 2012 Summer Olympics. Bolt has a sponsorship contract with apparel company Puma worth $9 million a year, and generates appearances fees of as much as $250,000 per race.

Poorer

Linda McMahon

The Connecticut Republican and former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment lost her bid for a Senate seat despite putting $50 million of her own money into her campaign. She spent roughly the same on her 2010 senatorial bid, putting her senate-related losses at $100 million.

China’s richest people

Nearly half of China’s top 1,000 richest citizens suffered financial losses in 2012, with the average wealth falling 9 per cent to $860 million from a year earlier. The number of Chinese billionaires fell to 251, 20 fewer than in 2011.

The NHL and its 700-plus players

The NHL says it is losing $20 million for every day the players remain locked out. CIBC said Canada’s GDP was flat in the third-quarter, its growth prospects hurt by the second NHL lockout in eight years. In 2004, a Toronto radio station ran a mock ad asking listeners to “sponsor an NHL player for only $700 a day.” No such ads have run this year. Yet.

Facebook investors

The social media company’s share price has plunged from an IPO value of $38 and now trades around $23. The value of shares held by company insiders has plummeted $20 billion this year; Mark Zuckerberg has personally lost as much as $7.5 billion.

Stockton, California

This city of 300,000 south of Sacramento became the largest city in the U.S. to declare bankruptcy. Stockton filed for protection from creditors saying it can’t afford the $417 million it owes for retiree health benefits. Over the past three years, Stockton has laid off 25 per cent of its police force, 30 per cent of its firefighters and 40 per cent of other municipal employees.